Session
Life Science / Well-being
The Future Shaped by Human Augmentation
Discuss how AI and biotechnology-driven enhancements to the body and mind will transform our lives, work, and society. Explore the advantages and challenges of technologies that expand human potential, and examine what the future may hold.
Available passes
- Executive
- Business/Startup
- Rising Star
- City
Language：English
Speakers
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Dima Gazda
Esper Bionics
Dima Gazda
Esper Bionics CEO
Dima Gazda, Co-founder & CEO at Esper Bionics. Dima combines his expertise as a Medical Doctor, serial entrepreneur, and embedded engineer to develop technology that unlocks human potential. In 2024 Dima was listed in Time 100 Health.
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Junichi Ushiba
LIFESCAPES Inc. Keio University, Faculty of Science and Technology
Junichi Ushiba
Professor, Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University / President and CEO, LIFESCAPES Inc.
Born in Tokyo, Japan in 1978, he graduated from the Graduate School of Science and Technology at Keio University in 2004 with a doctorate in engineering. In the same year, he joined the Department of Bioinformatics as a research associate. Since then, he has served as a full-time lecturer ('07-), associate professor ('12-), and principal investigator ('14-'18) at the Keio Institute for Pure and Applied Sciences (KiPAS) before becoming a professor in 2022. He also serves as CEO of LIFESCAPES Inc. ('19-), a company that utilizes research results. He has received the “Young Scientist Award 2015 (Neuromedical Research by Brain-Machine Interface)” from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, as well as other awards. Focusing on the inherent “flexibility” of the brain, he aims to create technology that enables each individual to live a rich and humane life, and is involved in everything from basic research on brain-machine interface technology (BMI), which connects the brain and machines to assist physical movement, to applied research and the development of medical devices. The company is engaged in a full range of activities from basic research to applied research and the development of medical devices.
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Lisa Mandemaker
Speculative Designer
Lisa Mandemaker
Speculative Designer
Lisa Mandemaker is a speculative designer with a strategic, contextually aware and critical approach to research and design. She considers speculative design as a tool for debate in the public domain. In collaboration with scientists, ethicists and researchers she crafts future narratives through designed prototypes, creating invitations to reflect on possible futures. Making impactful, topical work and creating strong interventions and conversation starters are key elements to her practice. The focus is on the socio-cultural and ethical impact of emerging technologies in the fields of reproduction, health and politics. Through the lens of Reproductive Futures, her projects are a call to action and a pursuit of understanding and shaping the impact of technology on our most fundamental aspects of life. Known for her contribution to the design of the prototype of an artificial womb, she received a spot on the annual BBC 100 Women List, listing the 100 most inspiring women of the world.
